Castellum Hoge Woerd

The project

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In Leidsche Rijn, a new district on the outskirts of Utrecht, something special is taking place. Where river vessels once moored by a Roman fort or ‘castellum’, between old orchards and the rapidly developing city district, Utrecht City Council is working on Castellum Hoge Woerd. Castellum Hoge Woerd will become a permanent culture park for the residents of Leidsche Rijn itself, other Utrecht citizens, and everyone interested in culture from the Netherlands and beyond.

The Castellum Hoge Woerd project is a co-production from three municipal service departments – culture affairs, City development and Public works – together with the Leidsche Rijn Project Office.

This booklet provides an impression of the plans for Castellum Hoge Woerd, and describes the progress to date of a complex and unique development project. It begins with a vision: how Castellum Hoge Woerd will look, how it will smell and taste, what it will mean, and how it will interact with its visitors when it is complete. Then you will be introduced to some future visitors. Finally you will explore the different parts of the park and their functions, one by one.

In short: a first stroll through Castellum Hoge Woerd.

Would you like to come along?

To begin

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You have just taken your first steps, but you have to stop for a moment: it is an extraordinary sight. In the middle of the ‘new city’ of Leidsche Rijn you find a rustic spot with a unique building that is clearly based on a Roman fort and yet is thoroughly contemporary.

A group of children are running through the orchard ahead of you, passed the animals and the excavation of the Roman bathhouse. One archaeologist is in the excavated pit while a second is standing on its edge, telling a story to a small group of older ladies. The children – undoubtedly inspired by the fort’s sturdy gateway – run screaming into the Castellum.

You walk inside, through the gateway. An open area, bustling with life, with a building that immediately draws your attention. A small stage has just been set up, and a musician is doing a sound check. Now you see that the ramparts of the Castellum don’t actually form a solid defensive wall, but that they provide spaces of different sizes. The door to one stands open; an artist is working inside on a wooden sculpture. Another piece of the wall houses a little vegetable market.

By now the group of children have sat themselves round a long table. They are listening attentively to a little girl with a chicken in her arms.

You walk into the building...

In five years or so... ...an afternoon in April

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...and come face to face with a wooden Roman ship that seems to be floating in the room.

It is very close and extremely impressive, but you can’t touch it. Behind the ship you can see a part of specially designed exhibition. Walking around the room you see a central counter. Some visitors are collecting their tickets for this evening. An older couple are being given instructions in how to use a GPS device that will help them to explore the area.

You walk into a passageway, where all at once it is quiet. In a dimly lit room you can make out the silhouettes of two people working intently in the glow of four computer screens. You can tell their age from the caps they are wearing.

At the end of the passageway you open a door. You are met by a hubbub and delicious smells. Suddenly you find yourself in a restaurant. People are having drinks, the cooks are busy preparing meals for them, and the doors open onto a terrace.

Time for a break.

You walk into the building....

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Castellum Hoge Woerd:• bringsthepastofthesiteandLeidscheRijn

to life in a unique way• playsakeyroleintheprovisionofand

participation in art and culture in Leidsche Rijn• bringsvisitorsintocontactwiththeirnatural

surroundings in a way that will always be available to them

• unitesthedomainsofculturalhistory,art&cultureandnature&environmentalcommunication

• providesLeidscheRijnresidentswithanidealplaceto meet each other

• appealstoalocal,regional,nationaland international public

The objectives of Castellum Hoge Woerd

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Visitors come to Castellum Hoge Woerd to meet each other and to learn something. And visitors are challenged to become actively involved themselves. The basic functions are therefore: •meeting•discovering•creating

Castellum Hoge Woerd’s public comes from the Leidsche Rijn district, the city of Utrecht, the Utrecht region and from all over the Netherlands. The overall concept and the archaeology also provide a potential international attraction.

Castellum Hoge Woerd is aimed at children and youngsters on school trips and for extra-curricular activities, and people from the neighbourhood. Furthermore, the offering is attractive for day-trippers and culture enthusiasts with an eye for innovation and authenticity.

Meeting, discovering, creating

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Castellum Hoge Woerd is a permanent, sustainable culture park where you can discover old and new culture in a lively, contemporary setting.

The ‘park’ is appropriate for the open, de open, varying layout of the area. The ‘culture’ encom-passes the archaeology and the cultural and artistic programme. The ‘culture’ also applies to the way in which people will be able to mould their surroun-dings as they wish – which makes a good fit with the concept of permanency behind Castellum Hoge Woerd. ‘Permanent’ and ‘sustainable’ refers to the execution of the park and the buildings, and the raising of visitors’ awareness of the quality and vulnerability of their everyday environment.

The Culture Park is divided into two zones: the Castellum (within the ramparts of the former fort) and the Green Zone.

The plan for Castellum Hoge Woerd

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“The Romans used to live here. They were brutal

people. They ate geese.”

“You can see all of that here. Inside there’s a sort of

museum, only more fun. They’ve found a boat, and

now you can look at it. I thought the weapons were

really cool. They’re all rusty now, but there’s a game

where you can see them the way they used to be.”

“Outside you can play at Romans. But I really didn’t

want to do that. I looked after the donkeys. They

used to use them in the olden days to carry things.

But now they’re just there to look after. And then we

had lunch – everything was from the garden here.”

“We were allowed to cook it ourselves. Lucky there

wasn’t any goose.”

Jeff en Ahmet[both 9]

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“Senne often comes here with her school, and

I come here Wednesday evenings for my writing

course. But in the weekends it’s something else

again. There’s really always something to do.

And you nearly always bump into everybody here.

Just like last week, at the mediaeval pageant: two

colleagues, three neighbours, it was really good fun.

But today we’ve just come to eat something, really

easy and nice. Senne’s always allowed to bake her

own rolls.”

Mark [35], Marleen [32], Senne [5] en Jasper [0]

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“We’re just eating something quickly, because the

performance is about to begin. It’s always so nice to

come here – you’re still in the city, but you feel like

you’ve left it. Really special.”

“But if they didn’t have these open air performances

here, we’d probably never have found ourselves

here. You have to know about it, and that’s also part

of the charm of the place really.”

“If you actually live in Leidsche Rijn, you’re really

lucky in that respect. Anyway, shall we get the bill –

I don’t want to end up in the back row.”

Marloes [62] and Joep [59]

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Castellumzone This is the heart of the Culture Park. Here there is always something to do. A new wall encloses the historic Castellum area. In one of the quadrants, the “Castellum Pavilion” can be found. The Roman Ship has been given a place there, together with (thematic) exhibitions, catering and multifunctional spaces. In the wall itself there are places for workshops, studios and other smaller scale activities. The area inside is like a real marketplace, with a changing programme and a wide range of uses in a natural and sustainable environment.

...the heart of the Culture Park... always something to do...a real Marketplace

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Castellum Pavilion The Castellum Pavilion is the substantive and organizational centre. Here are facilities for the general public, such as exhibition spaces, debating chambers, theatre space and the catering. There is also a ‘semi-public’ space, offering places for courses, rehearsals and a multimedia studio. And last but not least, the Castellum organization’s office is here.

The pavilion is inviting, makes a good match with the place and its history, provides a central place for the ship and is built from sustainable materials.

...experience the past...enjoy choosing what you want to do...welcoming and open... a proud and sturdy ship...

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Discovering: the exhibition spaces The present and the past of the place come to life in the Castellum Pavilion. The story is told in semi-permanent presentations of how the Romans, mediaeval people and modern Dutch people moulded the surroundings to their will. The Roman ship is a standard bearer and the central attraction of the pavilion. Visitors also learn to ‘read’ the landscape, and it is explained to them how they themselves can make a contribution towards a sustainable local environment.

Culturalhistory,art&cultureandnature&environment are also given new themes in the thematic spaces. From waste to a roof over your head, and from energy to a love of animals: every time a new and exciting presentation.

...the present and the past come to life... Romans, mediaeval people, modern Dutch people...‘read’ the landscape... contribute something yourself...from waste to roof over your head, and from energy to a love of animals

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...getting involved yourself...workplaces, rehearsal space, debating chamber, workshop, theatre, multimedia studio...your own theatrical auditorium...

Creating and discovering: the studios Castellum Hoge Woerd challenges its public to really get involved themselves. Hence the studios: multifunctional workplaces, that can sometimes be rehearsal spaces, then a debating chamber, followed by a workshop or even a theatre.

It could work well to create a unique theatrical auditorium – so one of the plans is for a ‘flat floor’ theatre to accommodate an audience of two hundred.

The studios are ‘semi-public’, so differ in that respect from the exhibition spaces. They are also available for hire by outside individuals and organizations.

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...the Marketplace...a meeting and activity space...surrounded by the Castellum ramparts...small-scale activity...history, culture and nature... discovering for yourself...

Creating, discovering, meeting: the Marketplace Only one of the quadrants of the space inside the old Castellum is reserved for the Castellum Pavilion. The remaining quadrants form the Marketplace meeting and activity space, surrounded by the Castellum ramparts and buzzing with small-scale activity, and an additional space for activities that are no longer appropriate for the pavilion. These spaces are also available to hire.

The Marketplace must form a preparation for that which will take place in the pavilion. History, culture and nature also meet each other here, and visitors are challenged to discover things for themselves and start up or get involved in activities.

The Marketplace will become the stage for events, art projects, small-scale festivals and educational activities.

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Eating, drinking, celebrating The catering facilities of Castellum Hoge Woerd will form an integrated component of the offering. A place for meeting one another, relaxation and recreation, but also with extensive possibilities for creating cross-pollination with other components.

The restaurant of Castellum Hoge Woerd is accessible and accommodating, offers a good balance between price and quality, and is children-friendly. The kitchen is inspired by the New Dutch Kitchen: pure, locally sourced products and season-based cooking. The restaurant also takes care of the catering for hired venues and actively contributes to the development of events.

...meeting, relaxation and recreation... cross-pollination...a good price/quality ratio...children-friendly...locally sourced products...season-based cooking

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Wijsbureau Hoge Woerd enables you to look at Leidsche Rijn through other eyes: through the 21st century you see the continuity with the past. The structure of this area of the city is determined by historical patterns, and you discover this in the Castellum Hoge Woerd presentations. But Castellum Hoge Woerd is also the starting point for further explorations of the surroundings and their history.

That’s the purpose of the Wijsbureau (‘the agency that shows you the way’): a travel agency for routes through the present and the past. With walking and cycling guides, GPS routes and guided tours for all target groups. Visitors can choose between trips around the Green Zone or exploratory tours through Leidsche Rijn.

...through other eyes...continuity with the past...explore the area...journeys through the present and the past... GPS routes and guided tours

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Green Zone The Castellum stands amidst diverse green surroundings – a real culture park. Orchards, greenhouses, gardens, a country shop and the Bouwloods building set the scene here. The city seems far away, the rural past nearby. A wonderful place to experience nature and landscape.

In addition to this, here is where places where exciting archaeological finds have been made, such as the Roman bathhouse and burial grounds. The surroundings enhance the further enjoyment of the park: barbecue spots, sports and games, picking fruit and flowers in your ‘own’ garden, looking at and caring for animals, and climbing trees. And the Green Zone is also a perfect starting point for running races, skating and cycling around the boundary of the Leidsche Rijn Park.

...a real culture park...orchards, greenhouses, gardens, a Roman bathhouse...the city seems far away... barbecue spots

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The plan for Castellum Hoge Woerd is an intermediate step in the course of a complex development project. This is outlined below.

The four municipal service departments involved are currently working on drawing up an integrated programme of requirements. In addition to the plan, vision and target groups, this document will also include the requirements for space, a budget and a plan for future phases. Utrecht City Council must make a definitive decision about this integrated programme of requirements. It is expected that this will be made in the spring of 2009.

If their decision is positive, an architect will be selected who will be assigned with producing an imaginative design on the basis of the integrated programme of requirements. Given the complexity of the task (building on an area containing archaeological treasures, the many parties involved), it is expected to take about a year before the definitive design is ready. Then the necessary permit application procedures can be begun, including an application for a national listed monument permit.

Parallel with these developments, the Leidsche Rijn Project Office is working on a zoning plan for the Hoge Woerd. It is also in negotiations with various parties about the land and buildings that must still be acquired. Once the City Council has obtained ownership of all the land and property involved, the clearing and prepa-ration of the location for building can be begun.

It is currently expected that the building work can be started in the autumn of 2011. The doors to the Castellum can then be opened to the public in 2013.

Looking ahead

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Under contruction

Colofon

PublicationGemeente Utrecht, Maatschappelijke Ontwikkeling, Stadsontwikkeling, Stadswerken en Projectbureau Leidsche Rijn

Concept, copy & design Tinker imagineers

Photography Tinkerimagineers&GemeenteUtrecht

IllustrationsFriso van Rossum

Date November 2008

More information030 - 286 00 00